


Sinner's Gold

by MickMackNickNack



Series: The Ivory Crown [1]
Category: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Blackmail, Drinking, F/F, F/M, Hunting, I may up the rating later, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Intrigue, M/M, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Political Alliances, Politics, Post-War, Secret Relationship, Tagatha’s interactions are based on me and my husband, Violence, backhanded compliments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22981726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MickMackNickNack/pseuds/MickMackNickNack
Summary: A ten-year-long war has just ended.  Princess Sophie of Gavaldon is to be sent as an ambassador to the kingdom of Ravenswood--but when she arrives, a mysterious message arrives with her and changes everything.
Relationships: Agatha/Tedros (The School for Good and Evil), Anadil/Hester (The School for Good and Evil), Hort/Ravan (The School for Good and Evil), Nicola/Sophie (The School for Good and Evil), Ravan/Sophie (The School for Good and Evil), Tristan/Ravan (mentioned)
Series: The Ivory Crown [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1651612
Comments: 41
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

I

Princess Sophie of Gavaldon glided down the steps, every step carefully choreographed in her head before she took it. She smiled at the court, summoned up tears for her stepfamily and father--then breathed a sigh of relief once she was in the carriage. 

The smiles and tearful goodbyes were all politics. So was the waving to the people. After she passed out of the capital, she relaxed. Well, almost. Pressing a thumb into her seat, Sophie sighed and wrapped herself in her cloak. She was already wishing she had never gone. 

This was going to be a _very_ long trip. 

II

King Ravan of Thicket Tumble was quiet. He hadn’t been much of a talker since the deaths of his family. Instead, he was thinking. The summons to Ravenswood was mysterious. _Very_ mysterious. A crackle of thunder punctured the eerie aspect of the moment. 

He wasn’t fond of travel, but he was curious. He _would_ figure this out, he told himself. And if he didn’t?

Cold dread seeped into his stomach. He might not come back alive. 

It began to rain.

III

Count Hort and Princess Anadil of Bloodbrook sat next to each other in the carriage. Hort was already bored with travelling. He was looking out the window, watching the world pass slowly by. She was reading. 

It was the dullest thing he had ever done. So he decided to talk to Anadil. “Hey, Ani, why’re we going to Ravenswood?” 

“We’re going because it is our duty to,” she said. She turned a page in her book. He peeked at it. It was something about witchcraft.   
  
He sighed and went back to staring out the window. 

IV

Duchess Nicola of Gavaldon sighed and glared hard at her book. It wasn’t the book’s fault she was angry, though the characters were all warmongering maniacs. No, it was Sophie’s. She was the vainest, most insensitive, most vicious _wart_ in all of the kingdom, if not the world. 

Of _course,_ Sophie had to _act_ the perfect princess around everyone. Everyone but Nicola. Nicola, who had been assigned the duty of ‘Escort for Chastity and Possibly A Smart Match Cough _King Ravan_ Cough.’ That wasn’t the official title, of course. No, she was actually ‘Escort to Her Royal Highness.’ 

Although, from what she had heard, if Sophie married King Ravan, His Royal Resting-I-Will-Kill-You-Face would have her executed after a week. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet the royals of Ravenswood who are, it seems, a bunch of pessimists.

V

Lady Hester of Ravenswood was very, very nervous. It had been ten years since Ravenswood had had so many visitors, or indeed, any visitors. She tapped her sharp nails on the balcony’s railing. The guests were all dignitaries; one king, two princesses, one count, and one duchess. The duchess had come with one of the princesses. 

She bit her lip and tapped her fingers faster, the faint noise the nails made only making her more agitated. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and stormed back into the palace. 

“Your Majesties!” she called, hurrying through the halls. As she did so, she cursed her ridiculous skirts; they allowed her to go no faster than a hurried trot.    
  


“Yes, Hester?” came the return call in Agatha’s voice, preceding the Queen into the room. 

“They will likely arrive soon. We should prepare--” 

“Not for another day at least,” Queen Agatha soothed. “Calm down, Hes. We’ll be fine.” 

“Exactly,” King Tedros said, coming up behind the Queen. He gave Hester a reassuring smile. “We’ll all be fine.” 

VI

Queen Agatha of Ravenswood really, really wished she could believe what she had told Hester. From what she had heard, the princess of Gavaldon was a selfish pain, the duchess of Gavaldon was reported by all to be bookish and witty, the count of Bloodbrook was overly active, the princess of Bloodbrook was obsessed with rats, and the king of Thicket Tumble was…well…temperamental. 

In short, this three-month-long visit would be a nightmare beyond anything that the Devil or Hell could come up with. Once Hester had been properly reassured, Agatha hustled off to the library with Tedros in tow. 

“Tedros, what if--” 

“The king of Thicket Tumble murders us in our sleep? Yes, I thought of that too,” Tedros interrupted. 

“No--” 

“The princess of Gavaldon steals all of our money to buy herself clothes?” 

“No, Tedros, what if--” 

“The princess of Bloodbrook has her rats infest the kingdom?” 

“TEDROS! WILL YOU LET ME FINISH?” Agatha bellowed. “What if this doesn’t go well?” 

“Oh. That’s all it was? I was sure it was something worse, you being you,” Tedros said, grinning sheepishly. 

“If this doesn’t go well, we’re going to be at  _ war _ !” Agatha yelled. 

“Oh. Actually, that’s much worse.” Agatha smacked herself in the face. 

  
It was going to be a very  _ long _ three months. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I pre-ordered OTK today! Yay! *Happiness* 
> 
> Also thank you to those who have left comments and kudos! You give me motivation! *hugs*


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone arrives at the castle of Ravenswood. This only makes everything worse.

VII

Sophie stepped out of the carriage and smiled brilliantly, welcoming the rays of sunlight as they streamed down onto her. “Finally, some decent weather!” she simpered theatrically. Then, “Nicola, don’t you agree?” 

“What? Oh, yes, of course, Your Highness,” Nicola replied, glancing around. A few footmen were unloading Sophie’s things. 

Meanwhile, two carriages had pulled up next to their’s--she recognised the crest of Bloodbrook. It was odd that there were only two carriages, but then again, Bloodbrook was relatively poor. 

She was so focused on that and Sophie she didn’t notice the man in the cloak. 

VIII

Hort was bored and very determined not to talk to anyone. Dignitaries were dangerous; all carefully crafted words, smiles that made you feel comfortable and then  _ boom!  _ Someone died. 

He did, however, spare a glance at the other people in the courtyard. There were other groups from different kingdoms there. He recognised crests from both Gavaldon and--

His blood ran cold. A man with cold black eyes was staring directly at him. 

Someone he recognised from paintings and books. 

Someone whose name was Ravan. 

IX

Ravan kept his gaze impassive. He let his eyes linger on Count Hort of Bloodbrook before moving onto Princess Sophie of Gavaldon. 

Soon to be his queen. He refused to call her his wife; that title could wait. Queen was easier to process. After his previous marriage…

Well, all he could do was hope that she’d be better than Loryana. Hope being the operative word. With an inaudible sigh, he started to walk over to her. 

X

Sophie knew exactly who the man was as soon as she saw him. “Hello, your Majesty,” she simpered, smiling at him. 

“Your highness.” He gave her a nod. Duchess Nicola was staring at them. Good. Let her stare. 

In fact, let all of them stare as she walked into the castle on the arm of one of the most powerful men in the world. 

That would show her parents. That would show  _ everyone.  _   
  


XI

Hester stared at the girl as she sashayed in on King Ravan’s arm. “Did he remarry?” she hissed to Lady Dot, who shook her head. 

“I think they’re betrothed.” 

“Yeah, they are. And the duchess is the chaperone,” Lord Chaddick interjected. 

“For her? I thought she was the perfect princess!” Hester said. 

“No, for the king who has no interest in anything but politics--of course for her!” Chaddick said, rolling his eyes. Hester sighed.

They weren’t able to say anything else, however. Everyone was seated. 

XII

Agatha and Tedros were as composed as they possibly could be. 

“Welcome!” Tedros said, his voice intentionally booming. “We hope you will enjoy your stay and that this will go well!” 

“Yes,” Agatha said, making sure to sound commanding, “we also hope that our kingdoms will get along and that we will be able to work together easily!” 

“With that,” Tedros said, “welcome to Ravenswood!” The gathered dignitaries all clapped and smiled. With a chill, Agatha realised that some of their smiles didn’t reach their eyes. 

XIII   
  


Ravan sat down heavily on the bed. This was already a nightmare without the added terror of explaining to Princess Sophie that he would really prefer to marry a man. 

_ It’s an arranged marriage. You marry her and Gavaldon doesn’t ever give you trouble again,  _ he told himself.  _ This is your duty, and if you marry a man your line will  _ end. 

He stood and undid his dark braid with shaking hands, then made his stumbling way towards the bathroom. Once there, he splashed water on his face glared into a mirror. 

“It’s not fucking fair,” he mumbled. “Not fair  _ at all _ \--” 

Something moved outside and he stalked to the door, shoving it open--

Nothing was there. 

XIV

Sophie was tossing and turning in bed.  _ This whole thing is a mess.  _ It was--her future husband had almost no emotions to speak of (at least he was attractive), Nicola was either very irritated or very depressed, and worst of all, she had no one to talk to. 

Sure, this was mostly because Ravan didn’t talk much, but that was his fault, not hers. 

And she still hadn’t given the King and Queen the message. The message that had said  _ immediately.  _

It was another six hours before she fell asleep. 

It was only five hours later when someone passed her door. 

XV

Nicola stayed up an hour later than Sophie reading and wishing that the characters were less stupid. Of course, they didn’t exist and couldn’t take her advice, but it was better than nothing. 

“Why can’t you just stay home, Maedhros?” she whispered. “Why’d you take the Oath? Why, why,  _ why?”  _ Her voice rose dangerously towards a normal tone--

_ Creak.  _ Nicola slammed the book shut. She rushed to the door… 

No one was there. 

XVI

Agatha was exhausted, yet she couldn’t sleep. Tedros snored beside her, blissfully unaware of her worries.  _ If they aren’t happy, what happens? Why is this so hard? Since when does Sophie-- _

No. She was not going down that train of thought. It was over and done with. The whole thing. 

So why did Ravan getting remarried (and being happy, maybe, for once) make her blood boil? 

The floor outside creaked loudly and Agatha sat straight up. 

It creaked again. She hurried to the door and yanked it open--

Nothing and no one. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ravan is creepy, Sophie is nervous, and Agatha is really starting to freak out.

XVII

The next morning while still in bed, Sophie made up her mind to give the King and Queen the message. 

At breakfast, while Ravan sat silently and ate just as silently (could it really be that hard for him to have emotions?) and Nicola just looked worried, she said, “Coliseum,” as loudly as possible. 

Everyone froze. Taking a deep breath, Sophie pulled out the piece of paper and began to read. 

_First light on the fourth day_

_Like lions to the hunt_

_And into gladiator rings_

_Coliseum games begin_

_When falcon’s beak the snake does meet_

_Then will the sinner’s gold be found._

She glanced up. The Queen looked ashen. Next to her, she heard a sharp intake of breath. 

Everyone burst into motion all at once. Lady Dot fainted, guards were called, swords were drawn--

“Wait,” Queen Agatha said. The panicking nobles froze. “Who gave you this message?” she asked. 

“I don’t know,” Sophie whispered. She felt lightheaded. “I was told to give it to you--it was on my nightstand.” 

“What does it mean?” Ravan said, voice like a knife. 

“I don’t know!” Sophie shrieked, spinning towards him. Why, _how,_ was he still so--

The lightheadedness got the better of her and she fainted. 

XVIII

After Sophie fainted, the dining hall lapsed into chaos again. “WE’RE GOING TO DIE!” shrieked Lady Kiko, sobbing in the arms of Lord Tristan. Nicola was getting a migraine. 

  
“SHUT _UP_!” Each noble did, stunned. King Ravan glared at them. “We could be closer to understanding what this message means, and instead, we’re screaming and acting like children in a dark room!” he roared. Nicola somehow managed to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. No wonder so many people feared him if he had a temper like this. 

“Please calm down,” King Tedros said, looking as stunned as Nicola felt. “There is no need to yell--” 

“I RECEIVED THE _SAME DAMN MESSAGE_!” 

“Okay, so maybe we should be panicking,” Tedros relented. 

Nicola winced. Two people receiving the same message? Sure, they were betrothed, but it wasn’t common knowledge yet. 

This was all far too intricate to be a coincidence… 

XIX

Agatha felt ill. Sophie had collapsed, Ravan had snapped, and the message hung in the air like the rotten stench of death. 

None of this should have happened. As someone revived Sophie, Agatha let the memories of the past few minutes playback in her head. 

_I don’t know…_

_Coliseum…_

_  
__Sinner’s gold…_

And, from somewhere in the deep dark: _Coron Ifori…_

XX

After breakfast, no one felt safe by themselves. Sophie and Nicola walked together, Sophie still feeling slightly ill. “Nicola, what do you think this all means?” 

“I think--Sophie, what if we’re the gladiators?” Nicola said quietly. “What if we die one by one until none of us is left?” 

“I don’t know,” Sophie whispered. “I really don’t know.” 

XXI

Hort sat with Anadil on the ground. “We are going to _die_ ,” he said. 

“No, stupid. We aren’t. You’re being paranoid,” his cousin replied, holding one of her rats close to her chest. 

“Yes, we are, _Anadil_. Last I checked, that mysterious message had the whole place in a tizzy and two people receive the same thing! ONE OF WHOM IS A SOCIOPATHIC WARLORD!” Hort wanted to tear his hair out but refrained because that would give the court things to gossip about. 

“While I agree with you on Sophie’s character, I seriously doubt we’ll die,” Anadil deadpanned. 

“I wasn’t talking about her. I was talking about _him._ ” 

“Really? I had no idea!” 

Hort sighed. Why did he have to come on this trip? _Why_? 

XXII

The library was quiet. Empty. Good. That was exactly what he needed. _How did she get that message?_

Ravan sat down heavily, his eyes narrowed, hand clutching a glass of some sort of alcohol. “What is this?” he whispered. 

“Drinking so early? I wouldn’t have expected that from any of you, but it’s even more shocking now, considering your… _reputation_.” Ravan turned and tossed Lord Chaddick a smile that never reached his eyes. 

“My reputation was not exaggerated. I am simply thinking.” He was not lying when he said this; both were true. 

The only difference was that the message he had received had dredged up secrets that he had strived to bury--namely, what had _really_ happened last year. 

XXIII

Chaddick’s calm façade was an utter lie. He wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to deal with someone like this. Especially faced with the simple fact that Ravan could not be trusted. Every word that came from his mouth could be a lie. 

  
“So,” he said, the first steps of a plan slipping into his head, “have you heard what they say about you and Sophie?” 

“No,” was the calm response. 

“They say you’re going to have her killed after you have an heir and invade her kingdom.” None of this was true, he merely wanted to see if he could break through the shield this so-called ‘Demon King’ put up. 

“Really? Interesting. I’ll think about that if she ever turns traitor.” Ravan stood and sauntered off. Suddenly, he stopped. “Catch.” He threw the glass at Chadwick, who caught it. Some of the drink inside slipped onto his arm. It looked vaguely like blood. “Lucky catch. Next time?” Ravan appeared behind him, lips brushing his ear. “Next time you’ll fail. Next time, my dear _Lord_ Chaddick? Next time I’ll cut off that insolent head of yours and _eat it._ Sound fun? Thought not.” And then he was gone, leaving Chaddick alarmed and dripping red liquid onto the carpet. 

It was once again raining. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something awful has happened…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter theme: Knives Out! (String quartet in G minor)
> 
> Sorry this took so long!

XXIV

Agatha had relished the idea of a hunt because it meant they could escape the castle and their worries. Unfortunately, it was raining, which meant yet another oppressive dinner party. There was an abundance of food, fake laughter, fake smiling, and so much simpering that Agatha could practically smell the lying. 

Chaddick seemed skittish, which was unusual. Agatha narrowed her eyes and walked over to him. “Good evening,” she said. 

“Good evening, your Majesty,” Chaddick replied. His voice was normal, but that was a given. In a royal court, showing any weakness might mean your death. Even in Ravenswood. 

She walked off soon after. Something felt off about Chaddick. Something…well. 

Almost deathly. 

XXV

Sophie’s jaw muscles were starting to hurt from all the smiling she was doing. She had met every member of Ravenswood’s royal court (she was quite fond of Dot and thought that Hester was awful), been cordially affectionate with her betrothed, and avoided Agatha. 

All in all, it wasn’t too bad of an evening. She was currently speaking with Lady Kiko, an adorable woman with the kindest disposition of anyone Sophie had ever known. “Yes, it is lovely in the spring,” Sophie was saying. “You simply must come and visit! I’d love to have you!” 

“Thank you, your highness. That is, assuming you still live in Gavaldon…” Kiko gave her a wink and a teasing smile. 

“Yes, well, we have not as of yet set a wedding date. I think he’s a bit nervous, poor thing, what with this being his second marriage and all.” She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Do you know what happened to his wife? He seems to have become rather cold over it…” 

“Of course not! I’m not into politics outside of Ravenswood--I’ve never been an ambassador or any of that sort of thing. You’ll learn once you move there, I presume. And you really lucked into this betrothal--he’s rather attractive, isn’t he?” Kiko said. 

“Yes, of course,” Sophie said, now desperately hoping that Kiko would leave. 

XXVI

The night finished with the king and queen retiring to their chambers, leaving everyone else to leave and walk back to bed. 

Sophie was almost afraid to do so. What if the person who had sent the message came for her? What if she died? The questions were an endless buzzing in her head. She barely noticed the maid, Vivienne, helping her into her nightclothes and leaving. She went to bed in a stupor. 

For the next two hours, she tossed and turned. 

_Creak._

XXVII

Hort stared at the ceiling. Anadil had retired to her room, leaving him to think without the mental support his cousin gave him. Okay, so maybe she was sarcastic and acted like he was stupid, but at least she was there. 

He rolled over and stared at the wall. When would this mess _end?_

_Creak._

XXVIII

Nicola couldn’t read past the fourth paragraph of the page. She was scared--terrified to the point of shaking, actually. 

What if Sophie died? Then what? Political deals with Ravan would collapse, for one thing, causing more death, everyone who knew her and was friends with her would be devastated, and Nicola? 

She had no idea how she would react.   
  


But what if she died? While her family would mourn her and the kingdom would be sad in general, the repercussions would be less horrific. 

She wondered what would happen should anyone else die. She had no idea; despite all of the political rambling, she didn’t really know what would happen. Their people would, and their families, of course, but any political repercussions? That she had no idea about. 

_A bit hush-hush, aren’t they?_

_Oh yes, quite. Not much of a talker…_

The words were from a conversation she had overheard between Lady Evelynne and Lady Genevieve on her first night at the castle. She had rolled her eyes at them. But now she wondered who they were talking about. 

_Creak._

XXIX 

Tedros and Agatha sat close together in Tedros’ study. “I’m worried,” Agatha whispered. 

  
“I know,” Tedros replied, his voice just as quiet. “What did that message mean?” 

Agatha nodded. “It all just--” 

“Makes no sense.” Agatha smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. 

“After six years, you can still finish my sentances,” she joked. He grinned. 

“I have to keep my skills up!” he cracked, wrapping his arms around her. She yawned.  
  


“We should go to bed,” she mumbled. 

“Sounds great,” he whispered back. 

_Creak._

XXX

The next morning dawned sunny and cheery, but Eve was not feeling as such. She ran screaming through the hallway, half in tears, half choking. 

She burst into the Great Hall, where the King, Queen, and their court were eating with the visiting dignitaries. “Your majesties!” she wailed. “Lady--lady--” Eve burst into sobs and collapsed onto the ground. 

Agatha raced over to her and helped her stand up. “What is it, dear?” Agatha whispered, making sure the poor girl knew she was safe. 

“Lady Kiko is--she’s _dead!_ ” Eve shrieked. 

Someone fainted. Everyone began to panic. 

“EVERYONE CALM DOWN!” Agatha screamed. They didn’t; the panic only got worse. 

Fortunately, there were others with the ability to calm people down. “CALM DOWN!” Hester boomed, and they all shut up. 

“What,” Sophie snarled, “is going on?” 

“Kiko is dead, you twit, that’s what’s going on!” Hester yelled. Sophie gaped at her.  
  


“I-I beg your pardon?” 

“Well,” Agatha said loudly, sensing an argument, “We could go and see what happened.” 

“Why would we do that?” Evelynne snapped. 

“You do not have to come.” 

“I’m staying,” Genevieve sniffed. 

“Who will come with me?” Agatha asked. 

“I will,” Tedros replied, placing his hand over hers. 

“I will,” came a group of voices in quick succession. Eight people were standing, which would make ten people. Wonderful. Just wonderful. 

XXXI

Kiko’s chambers were open and spacious. There was almost nothing out of the ordinary. That is, there was nothing out of the ordinary until they stepped into her bedroom and saw her body. She was staring blankly forward, her hand clutching something--

Ravan grabbed it and immediately wished he hadn’t. It was a note, hastily scrawled in handwriting that could have been anyone in the world’s. “Look,” he breathed. 

“What is it--” Hort slammed into him and stumbled back. 

“Read it.” Hort did, confused. After he was finished he recoiled in horror. 

“Everyone, um, you should read this…” The others crowded around. 

“Good God…” Agatha whispered. 

“Can you read it out loud?” Sophie grouched. 

He did. 

“ _One drop, two drop, three drop, four. I smell blood on the floor. Secrets, secrets, oaths you swore. Don’t hit your head on your way out the door._ ” 

The note fell from his hand to the floor. 

“What does that mean?” Sophie hissed. 

“It means that Kiko was murdered,” Ravan said, half in a trance. “And someone here is next.” 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new development is swiftly eliminated. Sophie and Tristan have a little chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, THIS was a pain! It was stuck in my head and very hard to write, but I hope it lives up to expectations!

XXXII

Hort was so shocked by Kiko’s death he accepted Ravan’s invitation to speak with him.  _ Who would kill someone like that? What would the motive possibly be?  _

“This whole situation,” he said, “is rather queer, isn’t it?” 

“Yes, it is indeed rather queer. But I suspect there was indeed a motive and a cruel one at that,” Ravan said. “I have no proof of this, of course.” He leaned back and sighed. 

“You seem to have a grasp on the situation at hand.” 

“In a fashion.” Ravan stared at him for a long moment. Then, “but of course, I have no idea what truly happened.” 

“Of course.” They lapsed into careful silence. Neither made eye contact. 

“There is one possibility that I would…prefer  _ not _ to discuss.” 

“What is that?” 

“Revenge. For something that both I and Sophie have done. Something…unforgivable.” 

“And what would this…unforgivable crime be?” 

“All in good time, my dear. All in good time…” 

XXXIII

Nicola looked at Sophie and then at her hands. “We could visit the stables,” she offered. “Go for a ride, perhaps?” 

“Maybe,” Sophie said, her eyes downcast.

“What is it, Sophie?” 

“It’s just…who would hurt  _ Kiko?  _ She posed no threat to anyone!” 

“I met her; she seemed too kind to be a threat,” Nicola agreed, placing a hand on Sophie’s. 

“Seemed,” Sophie whispered suddenly. Her green eyes lit up. “What if she was only pretending to be kind and innocent? She was close to Tristan--very close, from what I heard--” Sophie rocketed to her feet. “I’ll see you later!” 

Nicola blinked. What had that been about? 

XXXIV

The knife was beautiful. A fitting end, for the next victim was also beautiful. This would be a triumph of planning and design. 

Alas, it was only the warmup. A diversion, meant to hide the truth for as long as possible. 

_ A murder a day keeps the Demon away.  _ Another of the rhymes, a haunting, elegant way of tightening the noose. 

The next victim would be caught unawares. 

Oh, how deliciously ironic. 

XXXV

Agatha brushed a hand over the book, so intently focused she barely noticed that someone was behind her. 

“Hello,” a voice said, its tones deep and foreign. She whirled around-- 

Ravan was standing there, eyeing her closely. He held a book under one arm. 

“Have you tried this one yet?” he asked, holding it out. 

“No. I do apologise, I was utterly focused on my research and you gave me a bit of a fright.” 

“Ah, then it is I who should apologise.” They stood in silence for a moment. 

“Well,” Agatha said, clearing her throat, “I suppose I ought to get back to work.” He nodded slightly, the barest trace of a smile twisting his lips. Then, in a whirl of black fabric, he was gone. 

XXXVI

“An odd match, to be certain, but a smart one,” Hester remarked. Dot nodded. 

“They seem to get along well enough.” 

“And therein lies the oddness of it. She’s too open, he’s too cold. And don’t you dare give me the ‘opposites attract’ nonsense! They’ll either get along famously or not at all. The latter seems more likely. I suspect their cordial affection is merely a ruse. They killed Kiko.” 

Dot gaped and then burst out laughing. “Really, Hester? What proof have you of this?” 

“You must admit, it makes sense. After what happened--” Hester was cut off by Dot’s hand. 

“No, Hester! You mustn’t--it’s treason!” Dot hissed. She ran to the door and locked it. “We both know what happened. Everyone does, but to speak of it is to sharpen the axe for your own execution!” The younger woman glared at Hester. “No more of your conspiracies. I’m off, and I daresay this is the last time we have one of these meetings!” 

Dot flounced off in a huff, slamming the door behind her. Stunned, Hester slouched back in her seat. This was the first time she had been told off like that by someone other than Agatha. 

She wasn’t sure she liked the feeling. 

XXXVII

_ “A knife to the throat, a knife to the stomach, none would be the wiser…” a woman was saying.  _

_ A shocked gasp. The woman turned-- _

_ No one was there.  _

Tristan sat up straight. No. No one would know--never.  _ Never have I ever murdered a king…  _

_ NO!  _ He looked at his shaking hands, tasted bile in his mouth.  _ Never again…no…  _

“My condolences,” a woman’s voice said smoothly. A rustle of fabric accompanied this, and he found himself sitting next to Princess Sophie (soon to be  _ Queen  _ Sophie, he thought bitterly). 

“For what?” he asked, already knowing. 

“Why, for Kiko, of course. I heard you were close. I merely wanted to offer my sorrow for your loss,” Sophie said, smiling. 

“Ah, yes. Thank you.” 

“I wish I had known her more; she seemed a sweet woman.” 

“She was.” He found himself smiling; Kiko had indeed been one of the kindest people he had ever known. 

“Of course. Too sweet to be involved in politics.” 

“Yes, actually. I was; an ambassador to--” Tristan attempted to stop himself from saying it, but then reasoned that she would know soon enough. “Thicket Tumble.” 

“And were you close to my betrothed?” 

_ Intimately,  _ he thought, neck flushing red-- _ that smile, that laugh, those dark, dark eyes…I love you… _ No. Not now. He couldn’t relive that every time he thought of him. It just made everything worse. “We knew each other.” 

“A political thing?” 

“Yes.” Seemingly satisfied, she stood and departed. 

XXXVIII

The knife was in his hand. He could have done it. So easy, so simple; they’d never be the wiser. But no. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing him brought his knees by her. He wouldn’t hurt the boy--man--girl--whatever. It was all configured in his head, all of it. 

Every last detail. The reveal that the girl Yara was in fact a man, their short-lived affair. All of it. Then came the betrayal, his withdrawal. He had become colder, quieter, more cruel. 

Ragazath had given him brief respite. Ragazath, who had died in Foxwood the day of their victory, when the king surrendered and Foxwood had been conquered. 

Everything hurt. Everything led to this. And then Ravan’s thoughts turned again to the message. 

_ Coliseum,  _ Sophie had said. What did it mean? Not  _ the  _ Coliseum; that was in Jaunt Jolie. It had some kind of other meaning then. 

What happened in the Coliseum? Battles, naturally--

Gladiators. They were gladiators. The castle was the arena. An elaborate metaphor, an elaborate murder--

He never finished the thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evil cliffhanger is evil!


End file.
